Several such automatic safety devices for the firing pin of a handgun have become known (Walther pistol model P 38, Czech Army pistol model 52, Great Britain Pat. No. 660,046, German patent application DE-OS 25 28 831). These safeties have proven themselves. In order to prevent the safety being dislodged by inertial force in case of a blow or shock, e.g. in a fall of the weapon, the last-named known self-loading pistol has a fall protection device, similar in principle, that positively stops the firing pin only if the firing pin safety becomes disengaged through high acceleration. This is achieved by having the engagement direction of the two safety devices be opposed. This additional fall protection device means, however, a practically double manufacturing cost, because two safety members--two springs and two recesses in the weapon, on the one hand, and two recesses in the firing pin, on the other--must be provided.